Trick cigar-case.



F. L. ROUSE.

TRIGK CIGAR CASE.

APPLIGATIQN FILED APR. 24, 1911.

Patented Apr. 16, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

F. L. ROUSE.

TRICK CIGAR CASE.

APPLICATION PILPKD APR` 24,'1911.

Patented Apr. 16, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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UNITED STATES FRANK L. ROUSE, 0F SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS.

'IRICK CIGAR-CASE.

Specicationof Letters Patent.

Application led April 24,

Patented Apr. 16, 1912.

1911. serial No. 623,032.

State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Trick Cigar-Cases; and I do declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such asv willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same. f

This invention relates to special receptacles, and more particularly tothose adapted to contain cigars and cigarettes; and the object of thesame is to produce a trick pocket case of this character havingapeculiar form of locking device so constructed, that the user mayeither offer a cigar to a friend or show him that his case is apparentlyempty.` This object is carried out by the construction hereinafter morefully described and claimed and as shown in the drawingsfwhereinj lFigure 1 is a perspective view of the device in closed position. Fig. 2is a perspective view of the device with the slide opened. Fig. 3 is aperspective view of the case with the drawer opened. Fig. 4 is alongitudinal vertical sectional view of the device in closed position.Fig. 5 is a vertical cross sectional view of the device with the slideopened. Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4. Fig.7 is a cross sectional view on the line 7-7 of Fig. 4. Fig. 8 is adetail perspective view of thekey.

The'cigar or cigarette case may be said to comprise three telescopingmembers or sections which we willdistinguish by calling the outermostthe jacket which surrounds the other two, the innermost the drawer whichcontains the cigars, and the intermediate section the slide which movesbetween the other two sections and is always empty when drawn out. Theseconstitute a cigar or cigarette case (in the drawings I have made it inproportions which 'will accommodate cigars, but of course it might belarger or smaller) and it is by preference of such size and shape thatitcan be conveniently carried' vin the pocket. By preference it is madeentirely of metal although it might be of paper stock, or of leather orany other suitable material without departing from the spirit of myinvention. Manifestly it could be ornamented on the outside so as to bea neat pocket art'ij cle, or it might be made to carry advertising andthus become a novelty to be given away by store keepers and others.

-The numeral 10 designates broadly the jacket, 20 .the drawer, and 30the slide between the other two members or sections, and all these partshave the same general configuration and outline. Herein they are shownas relatively flat and rectangular iii planyiew with rounded edges andliattened ends whose corners'are rounded 0E so that the whole cigar casewill lit into the-pocket of the user.\ All sections have the bottomclosed and both sides also closed,what might be called the upper end ofthe jacket is open to permit the other members or sections to slide outof it, and what might be called its lower end has a true bottom llfand afalse bottomf18 spaced slightly inward from the true bottom and providedwith a central hole 19.

So much of the device as has been described above is common in articlesof this character, but the details of myv invention are amplified inthat portion of the specilication which follows.

The true bottom 11 is of a material which is slightly yielding orresilient by preference so that if necessary it may be pressed upon bythe finger of the operator, and as seen in Fig. 4 there is secured tothe inner face of this bottom a spring 12 having a knob or disk 13at itsinner free end. Its point of attachment to the 'bottom is at 14 by meansof rivets or the like, while the disk 13 stands over and opposite thehole 19 inthe false bottom 18. These two bottoms are spaced slightlyapart, and between them moves a gravity slide or key 15, best seen inFig. 6, which is yof the same general configuration as'but less lengththan the bottom of the jacket and which vhas in it a key-hole opening16. The latter is so disposed within the key that when it is moved toone extremity vas by tipping up the jacket edgewise the jliattened endof the key-hole 16 stands opposite the hole 19, but when the jacket istipped up on the other edge and the slide is vmoved to the l oppositeextremity the larger or rounded end of the-key-hole opening standsopposite'thehole 19 land in this position it therefore necessarilystands opposite the disk 13 for a purpose which will appear hereinafter.

The drawer 20 is of a size and shape to slide freely within the jacket10, than which it is therefore slightly narrower for this l withdrawn asshown. In length this see-- tion is slightly less than that of thejacket so that when housed therein with their up.- per ends Hush theclosed lower end 21 of the drawer will just rest upon the false bottom18. This closed end carries a'headed stud 22 which at this time projectsthrough the hole `19 in the false bottom 18, so that when the key 15moves in one direction the narrower end of the key-hole opening willengage the stem of said stud, but when the key moves in the oppositedirection the larger end of said key-hole opening will come over thehead of the stud and vopposite the hole 19. Therefore it will be clearthat at this time the drawer may be withdrawn, whereas at other timesthe drawer is looked in place.

The slide section 30 is of substantially the same configuration as theother two sect-ions and its sides 31 are by preference curved and maderather thin so that they will move freely between the adjacent sides ofthe jacket 10 and drawer 20. Its inner end is open as at 32so that theslide may be withdrawn without necessarily withdrawing the drawer, whileits outer or upperkend 33 is closed and is surrounded by a flange 34which complements the upper end of the jacket 10 when all sections arehoused together and which may be grasped by the hand of the operator inorder to withdraw this slide. Its inner end around its closed sides 31and closed outer or upper end 33 may have a slight bead 37 projectingoutwardly to engage a similar bead 17 projecting inwardly around theopen upper end of the jacket 10, the purpose obviously being to preventthe entire withdrawal of the slide from the jacket though this vrdetailis not absolutely essential.

In use the parts are assembled as best seen in Fig. i and the drawer isfilled with cigars o-r cigarettes as the case may be, four of the formerbeing stored in this case. If a friend ask the user for a cigar, he cangrasp the flange 34 and pull out the slide to convince the friend thathe has none in his cigar case, because as it is withdrawn the slidemoves outward between the other two sections and discloses its emptyinterior. The entire device will have been tipped to the left in Fig. 1so that the key 15 slides downward by its own gravity and the slottedYend of its opens, ing 16 engages under the stud 22 and prevents thedrawer 20 from being withdrawn along with the slide. The joke havingbeenplayedy uponl the friend, suppose the user now desires to oifer him acigar. He closes the slide and tips the entire case With its right sidedownward so that the key 15 slides by its gravity tothe right and theround end of its' opening 16 comes opposite the stud 22; then bypressing on the true bottom 11 if this be of spring material (or by thepressure of the disk 13 at the outer yend of vthe spring 12 if thisdetail be employed) -the drawer 20 is started outward from the jacket 10until its outer end can be grasped and in its movement it carries thelslide 3() with it although the closed upthe upper end of the jacket itmay be grasped by hand and drawn out to its fullest 4extent which willof course expose the cigars therein. W l

It is not absolutely essential to use either a resilient true bottom 11or a spring 12 un.- less the drawer has no flange over the end of thejacket, but I consider the use of one of these devices, and possiblyboth, to be desidrable in a trick cigar case of this character.Especially will the disk 13 at the free end of the spring 12 pressingupon the stud 22 prevent any rattling of parts, whereas its presencewould not interfere in any way with the gravital movement of the key 15.In fact the disk may be made so small that it will project through thesmaller end of the key-hole opening 16 and contact with the stud 22 whenthe drawer is in place, without at any timev making frictional contactwith the sliding key 15 which might prevent a free movement of thelatter under its own gravity. i

What is claimed as new is: y a

1. In a cigar case, the combination with the inclosing jacketa falsebottom therein having a central hole, and a key slidable by ter withsaid hole at one extreme of the movement of the key; of a drawerslidable longitudinally into thejacket, and a headed stud on the lowerend of said drawer adapted to pass through said hole and be engaged bythe opening in said key.

2. In acigarrcase, the combination with the inclosing jacket, a falsebottom therein having a hole, and a key slidable by gravity between thetrue and false bottoms and having through it a key-hole opening whereofthe largerV end is' adapted to register with said hole at one extreme ofthe movement of the key; of a drawer slidable in the jacket, a headedstud on its closed lower end adapted to pass through said hole and beengaged v the inclosing jacket having its true bottom resilient, a falsebottom therein having a central hole, and a key slidable by gravitybetween the true and false bottoms and having through it a key-holeopening whereof the larger end is adapted to register with said hole atone extreme of the movement of the key; of a drawer slidable within thejacket and having an open top and closed ends, a headed stud projectingfrom the lower end and adapted to pass through the hole in said falsebottom toward the true bottom, a slide having its top and lower end openand its sides movable between the sides of the drawer and acket, and aspring within the space between the true and false bottoms having a knobat its free end pressing on the head of said stud when the drawer is inplace.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

FRANK L. HOUSE.

Witnesses: i

WILLIAM l?. COTHARIN, WILLIAM J. BRnEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

